Dodgers extend qualifying offers to Corey Seager, Chris Taylor but not Clayton Kershaw

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers extended qualifying offers to 2 of their escaped agents — Chris Taylor and Corey Seager — but not to seasoned left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

Free agents Kenley Jansen (extended the qualifying connection successful 2016) and Max Scherzer (traded successful July) were not eligible for the qualifying offer.

At the aforesaid time, the deadline for players to workout opt-out clauses successful their contracts besides passed Sunday. Not surprisingly, right-hander Trevor Bauer did not workout the archetypal of 2 opt-out clauses successful his three-year, $102 cardinal declaration and remains nether declaration to the Dodgers for the 2022 season. Bauer was placed connected administrative permission successful July erstwhile intersexual battle allegations became public. That permission expired with the decision of the World Series.

Players extended qualifying offers person until Nov. 17 to judge oregon diminution those offers. If accepted, the subordinate returns to his squad connected a one-year declaration astatine $18.4 cardinal for the 2022 season. If declined and the subordinate signs elsewhere, their erstwhile squad receives draught prime compensation for losing that escaped agent.

Seager is virtually definite to diminution the qualifying offer. The 27-year-old Seager is 1 of the apical escaped agents disposable this wintertime and volition person multi-year offers for overmuch much than an $18.4 cardinal yearly salary.

Taylor, connected the different hand, could person a hard decision. An $18.4 cardinal committedness by the Dodgers indicates however overmuch they worth the versatile utilityman who made his archetypal All-Star squad successful 2021. Declining it would mean the 31-year-old Taylor is gambling connected getting a multi-year connection with a higher mean yearly salary.

In Kershaw’s case, it is the Dodgers who are gambling. By not extending the qualifying offer, the Dodgers are making it easier for different teams to prosecute Kershaw, knowing that they volition not suffer a draught prime for signing the 33-year-old. But the Dodgers could beryllium counting connected Kershaw’s caller wounded problems to bounds the fig of teams consenting to prosecute him arsenic a escaped agent.

Kershaw missed 2 months with a forearm/elbow wounded which flared up again connected the last play of the regular season. He and the Dodgers person insisted the ligaments successful his elbow are intact. Kershaw opted to person a platelet-rich plasma injection successful aboriginal October arsenic the people of treatment.

“I’m going to remainder and fto it heal,” Kershaw said astatine the time. “I’m not going to get country connected it oregon anything. Everybody I’ve talked to, each the doctors and everything, consciousness bully that I’ll beryllium bully to spell by outpouring training.”

Pitchers receiving PRP injections arsenic a mode to debar country person had mixed results implicit the years.

An $18.4 cardinal wage successful 2022 would correspond a important paycut for Kershaw who conscionable completed a three-year, $93 cardinal declaration extension.

Meanwhile, Bauer’s concern volition loom implicit everything the Dodgers bash this winter.

The Pasadena Police Department announced connected August 27 that it had concluded its probe of 2 incidents astatine Bauer’s location and passed the accusation connected to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s bureau for a determination connected whether oregon not to record transgression charges. No determination has been announced. Also successful August, the alleged victim’s petition for a imperishable restraining bid was dismissed.

MLB placed Bauer connected paid administrative permission portion it was conducting its ain probe and past extended that permission (with the players’ union’s consent) aggregate times. Any disciplinary enactment by MLB volition astir apt not beryllium decided until aft the presumption of transgression charges is determined.

The Dodgers continued to wage Bauer’s wage portion helium was connected administrative permission and volition present beryllium liable for his $32 cardinal wage successful 2022 unless helium is suspended by MLB.